The Mark of Athena
by Foreverchanging.Me
Summary: Nico is captured by Gaea, but where is he held? What is the Mark that Annabeth carries? What will happen when two worlds collide and who will solve the conflict? Read to find out! Continuation of Rick Riordan's sneak peek of The Mark of Athena.
1. Chapter 1: Annabeth

**A/N: This is the complete first chapter of Rick Riordan's story. Make note that I didn't change any content of it. There is a PDF version online and you can search it up. My story will begin in chapter 2, though I suggest you read chapter 1 to refresh your memory.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. All rights go to Rick Riordan.**

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The Mark of Athena

Chapter 1

Annabeth's POV:

Until she met the exploding statue, Annabeth thought she was prepared for anything.

She'd paced the deck of their flying warship, the _Argo II _, checking and double-checking the ballistae to make sure they were locked down.

She confirmed that the white "We come in peace" flag was flying from the mast.

She reviewed the plan with the rest of the crew—and the backup plan, and the backup plan for the backup plan.

Most important, she pulled aside their war-crazed chaperone, Coach Gleeson Hedge, and encouraged him to take the morning off in his cabin and watch reruns of mixed martial arts championships.

The last thing they needed as they flew a magical Greek trireme into a potentially hostile Roman camp was a middle-aged satyr in gym clothes waving a club and yelling "Die!"

Everything seemed to be in order.

Even that mysterious chill she'd been feeling since the ship launched had dissipated, at least for now.

The warship descended through the clouds, but Annabeth couldn't stop second-guessing herself.

What if this was a bad idea?

What if the Romans panicked and attacked them on sight?

The _Argo II _definitely did not look friendly.

Two hundred feet long, with a bronze-plated hull mounted repeating crossbows fore and aft, a flaming metal dragon for a figurehead, and two rotating ballistae amidships that could fire explosive bolts powerful enough to blast through concrete…well, it wasn't the most appropriate ride for a meet-and-greet with the neighbors.

Annabeth had tried to give the Romans a heads-up.

She'd asked Leo to send one of his special inventions—a holographic scroll—to alert their friends inside the camp.

Hopefully the message had gotten through.

Leo had wanted to paint a giant message on the bottom of the hull—_WASSUP?_ with a smiley face—but Annabeth vetoed the idea.

She wasn't sure the Romans had a sense of humor.

Too late to turn back now.

The clouds broke around their hull, revealing the gold-and-green carpet of the Oakland Hills below them.

Annabeth gripped one of the bronze shields that lined the starboard rail.

Her three crewmates took their places.

On the stern quarterdeck, Leo rushed around like a madman, checking his gauges and wrestling levers.

Most helmsmen would've been satisfied with a pilot's wheel or a tiller.

Leo had also installed a keyboard, monitor, aviation controls from a Learjet, a dubstep soundboard, and motion-control sensors from a Nintendo Wii.

He could turn the ship by pulling on the throttle, fire weapons by sampling an album, or raise sails by shaking his Wii controllers really fast.

Even by demigod standards, Leo was seriously ADHD.

Piper paced back and forth between the mainmast and the ballistae, practicing her lines.

"Lower your weapons," she murmured. "We just want to talk."

Her charmspeak was so powerful, the words flowed over Annabeth, filing her withe the desire to drop her dagger and have a nice long chat.

For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried hard to play down her beauty.

Today she was dressed in tattered jeans, worn-out sneakers, and a white tank top with pink _Hello Kitty _designs.

(Maybe as a joke, though Annabeth really could never tell with Piper.)

Her choppy brown hair was braided down the right side with an eagle's feather.

And then there was Piper's boyfriend, Jason.

He stood at the bow on a raised crossbow platform where the Romans could easily spot him.

His knuckles were white on the hilt of his sword.

Otherwise he was pretty calm for a guy who was making himself a target.

Over his jeans and his orange Camp Half Blood T-shirt, he had donned a toga and a purple cloak, symbols of his old rank as praetor.

With his wind ruffled blond hair and his icy blue eyes, he looked ruggedly handsome and in control, just like son of Jupiter should.

He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitate to blow them out of the sky.

Annabeth tried to fight it, but she didn't completely trust this guy.

He acted too perfect, always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing.

He even _looked_ too perfect.

In the back of her mind, she had a nagging thought: What if this was a trick and he betrayed us? What if we sail into Camp Jupiter and he says, "Hey, Romans! Check out these prisoners and this cool ship I brought you."

Annabeth didn't think he would do that, but still.

She couldn't look at him without getting a bitter taste in her mouth.

He'd been part of Hera's forced "exchange program" to introduce the two camps.

Her Most Annoying Majesty, Queen of Olympus, had convinced the other gods that their two sets of children—Roman and Greek—had to combine forces to save the world from the evil goddess Gaea, who was awakening from the earth, and her horrible children, the giants.

Without warning, Hera had plucked up Percy Jackson, Annabeth's boyfriend, wiped his memory and sent him to this Roman camp.

In exchange, the Greeks got Jason.

None of that was Jason's fault, but every time Annabeth looked at him, she remembered how much she missed Percy.

Percy, who might be below them right now.

Oh god.

Panic welled up inside her.

She forced it down.

She couldn't afford to get overwhelmed.

"I'm a child of Athena," she said to herself, "I have to stick to my plan and not get distracted."

Then she felt it again, that familiar shiver, as if an evil snowman had crept up right behind her and was breathing down her neck.

She turned but no one was there.

It must be her nerves.

Even in a world of gods and monsters, Annabeth couldn't believe a new warship would be haunted.

The _Argo II _was well protected.

The Celestial bronze shields along the rail were enchanted to ward off monsters, and their onboard satyr, Coach Hedge, would have sniffed out any intruders.

Annabeth wished she could pray to her mother for help, but now that was impossible.

Not this last month since she'd had a horrible encounter with her mom and had gotten the worst present of her life.

The cold pressed closer.

She thought she heard a voice in the wind, laughing.

Every muscle in her body tensed.

She knew something was about to be terribly wrong.

She almost ordered Leo to reverse course.

And then, in the valley below, horns sounded.

The Romans had spotted them.

Annabeth thought she knew what to expect.

Jason had described Camp Juipter to her in great detail.

Still, she had trouble believing her eyes.

Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood.

A small river snaked around one side and curled toward the center like a capital letter _G, _emptying into a sparkling blue lake.

Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight.

She recognized landmarks Jason had told her about-the hippodrome, the coliseum, the temples and parks, the neighboorhood of Seven Hills with its winding streets, colorful villas, and flowering gardens.

She saw evidence of the Roman's recent battle with an army of monsters.

The dome was cracked open on a building she guessed was the Senate House.

The forum's broad plaza was pitted with craters.

Some fountains and statues were in ruins.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House to get a better view of the _Agro II. _

More Romans emerged from the shops and cafes, gawking and pointing as the ship descended.

About half a mile to the west, where the horns were blowing, a Roman fort stood on a hill.

It looked just like the illustrations Annabeth had seen in military history books—with a defensive trench lined with spikes, high walls, and watchtowers armed with scorpion ballistae.

Inside, perfect rows of white barracks lined the main road—the Via Principalis.

A column of demigods emerged from the gates, their armor and spears glinting as they hurried toward the city.

In the midst of their ranks was an actual war elephant.

Annabeth wanted to land the _Argo II _before those troops arrived, but the ground was still several hundred feet below.

She scanned the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of Percy.

Then something behind her went _BOOM!_

The explosion almost knocked her overboard.

She whirled and found herself eye to eye with an angry statue.

"Unacceptable!" he shrieked.

Apparently he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck.

Sulfurous yellow smoke rolled off his shoulders.

Cinders pooped around his curly hair.

From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal.

From the waist up, he was a muscular human figure in a carved toga.

"I will _not _have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!" he announced in a fussy teacher voice.

"I _certainly _will not have Greeks!"

Jason shot Annabeth a look that said _I've got this._

_"_Terminus," he said. "It's me. Jason Grace."

"Oh, I remember _you, _Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome!"

"But they're not enemies-"

"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could-"

"Ha!" snapped the statue. "Don't try that charmspeak on _me, _young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"

Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding.

"Um...okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."

"Impertinence!" There was a sharp _POP_ and a flash of yellow.

Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking.

"Lucky for you I've just been through a battle," Terminus announced. "If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already!"

"Hold up." Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller.

"Did you just call my ship a monstrosity? I _know _you didn't do that."

The idea that Leo might attack the statue with his gaming device was enough to snap Annabeth out of her shock.

"Let's all calm down." She raised her hands to show she had no weapons.

"I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the ciry of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of-"

"Oh, I know who _you _are!" The statue glared at her with its blank white eyes.

"A child of _Athena, _Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! you Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for _that_ goddess."

Annabeth clenched her jaw.

This statue wasn't making it easy to be diplomatic.

"What exactly do you mean, _that _goddess? And what's so scandalous about-"

"Right!" Jason interrupted. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can-"

"Impossible!" the god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender, or leave?"

"Both!" Terminus said. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"

"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with professional interest.

"You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look."

He exchanged the Wii controller for a screwdriver from his magic tool belt and tapped the statue's pedestal.

"Stop that!" Terminus insisted.

Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver.

"Weapons are _not _allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"City limits," Jason translated.

"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You _cannot_ land!"

Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were half-way to the city.

The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now.

Annabeth scanned the faces and ... oh, gods.

She saw him.

He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies - a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet.

Percy looked so at ease, so happy.

He wore a purple cape just like Jason's - the mark of a praetor.

Annabeth's heart did a gymnastics routine.

"Leo, stop the ship," she ordered.

"What?"

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

Leo pulled our his controller and yanked it upward.

All ninety oars froze in place.

The ship stopped sinking.

"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering _over _New Rome, is there?"

The statue frowned. "Well, no..."

"We can keep the ship aloft," Annabeth said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

The statue seemed to ponder this.

Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands.

"I like technicalities," he admitted. "Still..."

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Annabeth promised. "I assume the Romans - even those reinforcements marching toward us - will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?"

"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

"Uh, Annabeth ..." Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"

She closed her fists to keep them from shaking.

That cold feeling was still there.

It floated just behind her, and now that Terminus was no long shouting and causing explosions, she thought she could hear the presence laughing, as if it was delighted by the bad choices she was making.

But Percy was down there ... he was so close.

She _had _to reach him.

"It'll be fine," she said. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules."

She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. _Please_ try not to destroy my town."

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**A/N: Read and Review! =)**


	2. Chapter 2: Nico

**A/N: ****Just thought I should do a little on Nico before the reunion!** I do not own anything. All rights go to Rick Riordan. 

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The Mark of Athena

Chapter 2

Nico's POV:

His senses finally came back to him.

Nico slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings.

The pounding in his head made it hard for him to concentrate on what he could see but he managed to make out several things.

1. He was in a dark musty cave that must have been hundreds of years old for all he knew.

2. Torches aligned the walls and only barely lit up the cavern. (Nico had no idea why someone had even bothered with them because he couldn't see more than about two feet in front of him even with the torches)

3. The air was dense and thickly packed so it made it hard for him to breathe.

4. The ground was damp and had patches of thousand year old mosses that were rotting.

5. He had absolutely no idea where he was.

After analyzing all this, which practically killed his brain because of the severe headache, Nico sighed in defeat.

He slumped down, slowly slid down the wall and was about to go back to sleep when a question hit him in the face.

Nico's eyes widened so wide that they couldn't possibly be wider, his mouth dropped completely open and a gasp escaped his lips.

_HOW IN THE WORLD DID I GET HERE?!_

He muttered all the Ancient Greek curses he could remember under his breath, which was quite a _few_.

After going through with all the shock, Nico really truly opened his eyes and looked around.

Even though he couldn't see very far in the dim light, Nico noticed the ceiling of the cave.

Along with many cave formations and stalactites, the ceiling was also covered with many paintings of all sorts.

There were titan battles and pictures of monsters and giants destroying the towns with heroes and demigods drawn to look extremely pathetic.

Shown in another painting was Kronos cutting his father into tiny little pieces with his scythe.

Nico tried to examine more paintings, but the pounding in his head was about to knock him unconscious _again _and the pain was gradually becoming more and more unbearable.

Instinctively, Nico reached his hand out to try to somehow lessen the pain.

And ... found out he couldn't.

Now was when he realized the chains that bounded him to the wall.

They secured his limbs against the wall which made it very hard to move even if Nico didn't have that horrible headache.

Each chain link was very sturdy and ranged around four to five inches thick.

The chains didn't have a lot of rust and were shiny (or as shiny as they can get under the dim light), which classified them as newly forged.

Considering the damp and moisturized cave with the lack of rust, Nico realized he couldn't have been trapped here for more than two or three days.

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

Drops of water fell from a stalactite and washed over the surface of a chain link.

The water droplets were like a magnifying glass, and under the dim light, it was extremely helpful.

Nico stared.

He reached as far as his chains would let him go and peered very closely at the chains.

What he didn't notice early was now as clear as day.

There were small symbols etched into the chains, encircling the links as if they were the very things that bound them together.

He recognized the symbols in Ancient Greek along with some of the Latin ones.

"_They must be spells." _Nico thought.

He furrowed his eyebrows and tried to make out the enchantments, but it was too dark for him to see very clearly.

Just then, somewhere out there in the dark, metal hinges of a door creaked open.

Large hands pushed open a metal gate-like door, which slammed onto the cavern wall.

The loud sound sounded unfamiliar and painful in the eerie quiet, making Nico wanting to plug his ears as hard as he could.

As soon as the gate slammed, bright light flooded in Nico's direction, which momentarily blinded him, making it impossible to see anything at all.

Footsteps approached him.

Nico felt something like a magical barrier let the person/thing/whatever that was in.

It rippled and became still as soon as "it" passed through.

The steps were getting closer and closer, each one crushing the moss underneath its bare feet.

Something was coming towards Nico, and as much as all of his instincts told him one word _RUN!, _and as much as Nico wanted to do nothing more than to be able to, there wasn't a thing he could do.

Leaning closer and taking one good look at Nico, the voice chuckled.

Nico felt the temperature drop as if he was in the presence of a titan.

Through what little light could be found, he stared at the thing in front of him.

The giant was, well _giant._

The giant was wearing full battle armor with nothing else on.

He was around eight to seven feet tall with huge muscular arms and a very burly form.

He had a golden-tipped spear which was around eight to nine feet long and had a diameter of at least four inches.

The shield he was holding had a diameter six and a half feet long.

His face was dotted and patched with many battle scars and his eyes shone with the gleam of a proud killing machine.

His battle helmet and other pieces of armor covered up a lot of his skin, but Nico could tell he was full of battle scars and proudly wore them.

Fixing his gaze and staring right at the giant, Nico started talking.

"You're a giant who serves under Gaea, aren't you?" he murmured, his voice cracking.

Nico's question was returned with silence until a loud laugh sounded and echoed through the entire cave.

"Awake, aren't we?" said the giant with a smirk, "Makes my job a whole ton easier."

Nico gritted his teeth, he didn't like the sound of the giant's _job _at all.

"I asked you if you were a servant of Gaea," Nico said scowling.

"Of course I am, pathetic demigod," answered the giant, still in his laughing fit. "But you don't need to be the one asking questions, _Nico Di Angelo_."

The air chilled slightly around Nico and he wondered if the giant did that on purpose, just to try to scare him.

But something in Nico's consciousness frowned at the giant's way of address of his full name.

"Seems you know who _I _am," retorted Nico.

The giant huffed, and tapped his foot impatiently as if he were simply dealing with a naughty child.

Suddenly, there was another drop in the temperature (as if that were possible) and the ground rippled like a small earthquake tremor that was visible.

The giant muttered something under his breath that Nico couldn't hear and then straightened up as if he were about to get down to business.

He took a surprisingly clean white handkerchief out of his pocket along with a small bottle.

The bottle was one of those typical poison bottles you would find except instead of being labeled with a skull and crossbones, it was labeled with Ancient Greek words that Nico couldn't make out.

The giant pop opened the cap and pour all of its contents onto the white handkerchief.

The clear liquid was immediately absorbed into the handkerchief.

Approaching Nico, the giant smiled.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" the giant asked warmly with an cold and evil smile.

Raising the handkerchief, the giant pressed it firmly under Nico's nose.

Nico tried to turn his head and breathe through his mouth but the giant pressed his meaty hand against Nico's throat and choked him, forcing him to smell the handkerchief.

The moment he took a sniff, Nico's vision became blurry, his eyes seemed to be spinning dizzily in his sockets.

His head was aching and longing for rest.

He felt the world spin and give away at his feet until suddenly the world became black.

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**A/N: Read and Review! =)**


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